Transportation
Many expats do not have vehicles and rely on others with vehicles or hire a driver when they need one. Bicycles, motorcycles and scooters are very popular as an alternative. We have a Jeep SUV and a motorcycle. In the larger cities there are plentiful taxis and sometimes 3-wheel motor vehicles. You will be pleasantly surprised by the international airport in Managua since it is as modern as any airport on the continent. From this airport you can get to the larger cities of North and Central America on the major carriers.
At this time only one smaller airline flies within Nicaragua. Round trip tickets from Managua to Big Corn Island cost approximately $165.00 USD. Flight time to Big Corn Island is approximately 1 1/2 hours with one stop in Bluefields. Baggage is limited to 30 lbs per person.
La Costeña National Bluefields,Corn Islands, Managua, Puerto Cabezas, San Carlos
+(505) 2263-2142 /43/44 info@lacostena.com.ni
The bus system is excellent and there are so many that you usually only wait a few minutes for the next one unless traveling far in which case the buses are more infrequent. TransNica and the TicaBuses are very comfortable and provide A/C, reclining seats, TV, sometimes movies and rest rooms. Both of these bus services only travel between major cities in Central America.
Within Nicaragua you have the buses that range from chicken buses (reconditioned USA school buses) to fairly comfortable buses and vans. You never know what you may get. They are called chicken buses because you may see a few critters on the bus with you. Part of the adventure! If you are going to anywhere other than to/from Managua you may have to take a taxi to another Managua terminal. For example, for me to go to Matagalpa I would go to Managua by bus, taxi to another terminal then board a bus to Matagalpa.
And finally you have the ferries from Rama to Bluefields/Corn Islands, Granada to Ometepe/San Carlos and San Jorge to Ometepe. We took the Granada ferry to San Carlos which took 15 hours then took a trip down the San Juan River. Bring a hammock and a weatherproof jacket since it gets quite cool and sometimes wet.
For most of the regular bus schedules in Nicaraga go to:
http://www.thebusschedule.com/EN/ni/
Bus Service to Other Countries
TransNica Bus Lines
Rotonda de Metrocentro,
300 Mts al lago,
50 Mts arriba,
Managua
Telephone (505) 2270 3133 www.transnica.com
Tica Bus
Del Antiguo Cine Dorado,
2 Cuadras arriba
Barrio Bolonia
Managua
Telephone
(505) 2222-6094 www.ticabus.com
(505) 2222-3031
Ferries – Rama, Bluefields, Bluff, Big Corn Island
You can also take a fast panga between these points but this is much more comfortable and the scenery is beautiful. Also possible to take your vehicle with you.
For the ferry information go to:
http://horariodeferry.com/ni/
Ferries – Granada, Moyogalpa, Altagracia, San Carlos
You can get to the island by boat or ferry from San Jorge (close to the city Rivas) or Granada. Taking a boat from San Jorge is the fastest way, taking about one hour to get to the main port in Moyogalpa in Ometepe. Ferries are bigger than the regular boats and can also take cars, motorcycles and bicycles. The ferry from Granada will take you to the north side of the island, to the city of Altagracia.
For the ferry information and lots of info on Ometepe go to:
http://www.ometepenicaragua.com/ferryboat.php
or
http://www.epn.com.ni/Itinerarios_Cocibolca.pdf
Local Bus Costs Between Cities
As of May 2015
At this time only one smaller airline flies within Nicaragua. Round trip tickets from Managua to Big Corn Island cost approximately $165.00 USD. Flight time to Big Corn Island is approximately 1 1/2 hours with one stop in Bluefields. Baggage is limited to 30 lbs per person.
La Costeña National Bluefields,Corn Islands, Managua, Puerto Cabezas, San Carlos
+(505) 2263-2142 /43/44 info@lacostena.com.ni
The bus system is excellent and there are so many that you usually only wait a few minutes for the next one unless traveling far in which case the buses are more infrequent. TransNica and the TicaBuses are very comfortable and provide A/C, reclining seats, TV, sometimes movies and rest rooms. Both of these bus services only travel between major cities in Central America.
Within Nicaragua you have the buses that range from chicken buses (reconditioned USA school buses) to fairly comfortable buses and vans. You never know what you may get. They are called chicken buses because you may see a few critters on the bus with you. Part of the adventure! If you are going to anywhere other than to/from Managua you may have to take a taxi to another Managua terminal. For example, for me to go to Matagalpa I would go to Managua by bus, taxi to another terminal then board a bus to Matagalpa.
And finally you have the ferries from Rama to Bluefields/Corn Islands, Granada to Ometepe/San Carlos and San Jorge to Ometepe. We took the Granada ferry to San Carlos which took 15 hours then took a trip down the San Juan River. Bring a hammock and a weatherproof jacket since it gets quite cool and sometimes wet.
For most of the regular bus schedules in Nicaraga go to:
http://www.thebusschedule.com/EN/ni/
Bus Service to Other Countries
TransNica Bus Lines
Rotonda de Metrocentro,
300 Mts al lago,
50 Mts arriba,
Managua
Telephone (505) 2270 3133 www.transnica.com
Tica Bus
Del Antiguo Cine Dorado,
2 Cuadras arriba
Barrio Bolonia
Managua
Telephone
(505) 2222-6094 www.ticabus.com
(505) 2222-3031
Ferries – Rama, Bluefields, Bluff, Big Corn Island
You can also take a fast panga between these points but this is much more comfortable and the scenery is beautiful. Also possible to take your vehicle with you.
For the ferry information go to:
http://horariodeferry.com/ni/
Ferries – Granada, Moyogalpa, Altagracia, San Carlos
You can get to the island by boat or ferry from San Jorge (close to the city Rivas) or Granada. Taking a boat from San Jorge is the fastest way, taking about one hour to get to the main port in Moyogalpa in Ometepe. Ferries are bigger than the regular boats and can also take cars, motorcycles and bicycles. The ferry from Granada will take you to the north side of the island, to the city of Altagracia.
For the ferry information and lots of info on Ometepe go to:
http://www.ometepenicaragua.com/ferryboat.php
or
http://www.epn.com.ni/Itinerarios_Cocibolca.pdf
Local Bus Costs Between Cities
As of May 2015
